Hard Echo's last CD 'Traded Secrets' had a style that was fairly derivative of the more progressive and obscure Iron Maiden numbers like "Remember Tomorow" or even a snatch or two off of "Seventh Son". There are some little flashes of Maiden in the new 'Mouth of the Sun'--notably in some soloing--but on this effort Hard Echo comes into their own maturity as band. Their new CD shows them moving away from a heavily imitative sound towards a traditional metal that's loaded with pummeling, power guitar riffs and a production that recalls some of Metallica's early works. Most Valuable Player award definitely goes to singer Mark Arrington who reigned in an outer range that was sometimes abrasive on the prior disc. He's sings with such a tremendous amount of guts and glory, you'd the think the world's fate was at hand. The heart and zeal of his vocal performance really saturates the entire CD on all levels and pushes it past the last release by miles. Only thing missing from this release is another killer Marc Sasso cover.

Maximum Metal Rating Legend - Click for Full Details

5

Excellent - Buy it and say a prayer to the metal gods
that you were tuned on to this masterpiece. A classic.

4-4.5

Great - Almost perfect records but there's probably a
clunker or a lacking somewhere to keep it from perfection. You won't feel bad about
dropping some bones on these.

3.5

Good - Most of the record is good, but there may be some
filler. This is the OK range where you'd search for the record on sale or used.

3

Average - Some good songs, some bad ones at about a
half/half ratio. Could show skills but be dull overall. Redeeming qualities for indy bands
are effort and passion. Majors that don't try or suck outright end up here.

2-2.5

Fair - Worth a listen, but best obtained by collectors.
There is much better metal out there.

1-1.5

Bad - Major problems with music, lyrics, production, etc.

0

Terrible or an otherwise waste of your life and time.

Note: Reviews are graded from 0-5, anything higher or not showing is from our old style.
Scores, however, do not reveal the important features. The written review that accompanies the ratings
is the best source of information regarding the music on our site. Reviewing is opinionated, not a
qualitative science, so scores are personal to the reviewer and could reflect anything from being
technically brilliant to gloriously cheesy fun.

Demos and independent releases get some slack since the bands are often spent
broke supporting themselves and trying to improve. Major releases usually have big
financial backing, so they may be judged by a heavier hand. All scores can be eventually
adjusted up or down by comparison of subsequent releases by the same band. We attempt to
keep biases out of reviews and be advocates of the consumer without the undo influence of any band,
label, management, promoter, etc.

The best way to determine how much you may like certain music is to listen to it yourself.